Jalneti: Part of Yoga

Fill the jug with pure water. Add half a spoon of salt to it. First boil the water and then cool it. Stand in front of a basin or in a mori. Lower the head to the left side. Place the funnel of the jug into the right nostril. Further lower the head slightly and raise the jug so that the water which entered the right nostril comes through I he left nostril. Continue this step for a minute. Then take the funnel out of the right nostril.

Now place the funnel of the jug into the left nostril and lower I Lie head to the right side so that the water which entered the left nostril may come out of the right nostril. Continue this ‘kniya’ for a minute.

Then sneeze fifteen to twenty times (breathing out forcefully from the nose) and let the water be evacuated from the nose. It is necessary to make the nose dry.

Note: If the water comes into the mouth through the nostril, spit it, do not swallow it.

There will be burning sensation in the nose and, with frequent sneezes the eyes will fill with tears while doing ‘jalneti’. This is natural. You will be accustomed to effects in a day or two.

Repetition

Jalneti should be practiced usually once in a day. The morning time is desirable. If you suffer from cold or hard-breathing, ‘jalneti’ may be practiced two or three times a day.

Benefits

1. The nose is cleansed.
2. Nerve-endings in the nose become more active.
3. Jalneti is an unfailing remedy for cold, nasal catarrh, sinus, headache and migraine.
4. Pranayama can be practised more effectively after ‘jalneti’.